Meat, eggs and dairy are the major restrictions. Most meat dishes I've found are pretty easy to rework with tofu or other proteins because it's usually the spices and sauces you're really craving, anyhow. What you use in place of eggs varies, but baking is easy to rework. I was never a big "egg" person (scrambled eggs omelettes etc) but tofu scrambles are a wonderful thing. Dairy is also pretty easy -- soy/nut milks fill the void pretty happily and a few coffee places carry them, just takes some trial and error to find the types and brands you like. Coconut ice cream etc. is a thing. If you end up missing cheese I've heard nut cheeses are pretty great, but I haven't missed cheese enough to seek them out. There's a book "Artisan Vegan Cheeses" about making them yourself. There are also vegan cheeses like Daiya that can work very well on e.g. pizza. Honey is generally not considered vegan. Harder to empathize with bees, but swapping for agave nectar etc. is easy enough that I haven't looked back. There are a few small nonvegan ingredients you have to watch out for like l-cysteine (duck feathers) and fortified vitamin D3 (usually wool, though there are vegan ways to produce it), but you become familiar with them over time and avoiding them isn't very hard. Is It Vegan is pretty helpful when you're uncertain about something. It helps to get a good cookbook. Honestly seeing all the cool recipes in the Veganomicon is what made me realize that this whole vegan thing is actually pretty fun and painless!

re: Celiac, my diet's been mostly gluten-free just on account of living with my aunt who has Celiac's. It shouldn't be an issue at all. Just avoid seitan which is made from vital wheat gluten. I'm not as informed about the restrictions that come with Type 1 diabetes, but being vegan with type 1 diabetes is definitely a thing. Probably someone with more knowledge of diabetes will come around to give you some information. :)

Wow, 150 pounds is awesome! Congrats! the last bit is always the worst, I've lost 50 so far and want another 20. It seems like the first 50 flew off. But it's getting there.

As for recipes, I have looked through a number of cook books and they are all good and bad, and you never know which it will be till it's made. Thug Kitchen, as someone else mentioned, is a pretty good one, Veganomicon was considered the vegan bible for a while, still full of great advice and great recipes. It is Vegan but if you want you can always add in the dairy you like, or just enjoy it vegan as most taste awesome anyway and a little more healthy just means faster weight loss. ;)

Oh and, in case you haven't discovered this yet as it can help a lot, tofu isn't evil. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge fan of the pillowy tofu most people make, I've gotten used to it and sometimes enjoy it (especially in Chinese Mapo Tofu with fake ground round) but there's a trick to making tofu awesome! Freeze it and then bake it. I buy the firm or extra firm tofu, open it, get rid of what water there is, throw two or three (trust me, you'll want them) in a ziploc bag and freeze it for at least 24 hours (you can do less, but the longer the better). Defrost it, I throw the bag in a bowl of hot water for a couple hours and just replace hot water halfway through. Once it's defrosted completely (even the middle), give it a nice gentle but firm squeeze over the sink. It's like a sponge at this point, but a fragile one so don't squeeze too hard.

Many just use it like this, and it's not bad, good for soups especially as it soaks up flavour really well. But I like to do one more step, first turn your oven to 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit (150-175 celcius) and then I slice the tofu block into whatever shape I want, I usually just do half inch slices, then I throw it in whatever marinade I want to eat that night (soy sauce, olive oil, garlic and poultry seasoning is one of my favourites) and after it has soaked up the marinade I lay the slices out on a baking sheet or cookie pan and bake them for 20-25 minutes with a flip in the middle. They will turn into pretty decent little fake meat pieces, they don't have the texture quiet right but it's enough, and it's lots of protein as well which is always good.

Sorry for the length, but that tofu thing has made my life much happier and I only learned it after 9 years of being a vegetarian haha.

One of the first veg. cookbooks I got when I was just starting out was Linda McCartney's World of Vegetarian Cooking (also known as "On Tour"): https://www.amazon.com/Linda-McCartney-Tour-Meat-Free-Dishes/dp/0821224875/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386369&sr=1-5&keywords=linda+mccartney

It has recipes from all over the world, from North Africa to Asia, Europe to North America and everywhere in between. They're great starter recipes in that the ingredients are simple (and easy to substitute if necessary), and the instructions are clear. They're great to build on - I've adapted quite a few recipes to my own tastes over the years.

A much more recent couple of books are Ottolenghi's Plenty and Plenty More:

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386476&sr=1-1&keywords=ottolenghi+plenty

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-More-Vibrant-Vegetable-Ottolenghi/dp/1607746212/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3YR260YE36YRJAQVCP9G

These are books that celebrate plant-based cooking which is of course inspired by many cuisines, but is itself a wholly original cuisine. Many of the recipes are not knock-offs of popular meat dishes (e.g. lentil bolognese) or existing dishes that happen to be vegetarian (caprese salad) but rather truly original compositions. It's really refreshing for simple but beautiful meals made of creative (but not pretentious) dishes.

I bought Martha Stewart's "Meatless" cookbook last year and it has great recipes too. https://www.amazon.com/Meatless-More-Than-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0307954560/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386647&sr=1-6&keywords=vegetarian+cookbook

It's Martha Stewart, so it's not going to blow your socks off with complex spices and heat, but the recipes are again a wonderful place to start. Well-balanced, visually appealing and reasonably priced to make, you can always jazz them up yourself.

Finally, one of my favourite cookbooks, vegetarian or otherwise, is Anna Thomas' Love Soup: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Soup-All-New-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0393332578/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386804&sr=1-1&keywords=Love+SOup

The recipes are heavenly (and as they're soup, you can always tweak to your taste - it's the ideas that are important). But what's really special is the narrative. She really engages you with lots of personal anecdotes and context for the ingredients, recipes and meals in general. I sat down and read it like a novel when I was given it for Christmas one year! It's really lovely.

Basically gonna echo most of the answers already posted, but just to pile on:

• 8" chef's knife. 10" is longer than may be comfortable and 12" is longer than necessary, but 7" may start to feel a little short if she's ever slicing large melon or squash. I'm a casual knife nerd and I have knives by Wusthof, Victorinox, Shun and Mac. My favorite.
  
  
• This Dutch oven. Enameled and cast iron just like the Le Creuset that a few other comments have mentioned, but much, much cheaper. I own two and they're both great. I also have the non-enameled version for baking bread, but I don't recommend it for general use unless you're a Boy Scout. Here's an entertaingly-written blog post comparing the Lodge vs. Le Creuset in a short rib cookoff.
  
  
• This cutting board and this cutting board conditioner. The importance of an easy and pleasant to use prep surface can't be overstated. I'm listing this third on purpose; this is one of the most important things your kitchen can have. A recipe that calls for a lot of chopping is no fun when you're fighting for counter space to do the chopping, or doing it on a shitty plastic board.
  
  
• A cheap scale and a cheap thermometer. Seriously, these are as important as the cutting board.
  
  
• Just gonna crib this one right off /u/Pobe420 and say cheapo 8–10" (I recommend 10–12" but that's my preference) nonstick skillet. One note I'd add is that pans with oven-safe handles are a bit more dual-purpose than pans with plastic or rubberized handles. You can't finish a pork chop in the oven in a skillet with a rubberized handle. But one could say you shouldn't be cooking a pork chop on a nonstick pan to begin with. The important thing is to keep this one cheap: you're going to be replacing it every couple of years, there's no getting around that. For my money $30 or less, and $30 is pretty expensive for these things.
  
  
  

• Cookbooks
  

  Nothing inspires cooking like a good cookbook collection. The great news about cookbooks is that they're often bought as gifts or souvenirs and they make their way onto the used market cheap and in great condition. Here are my suggestions for a great starter shelf:
  
  

1. The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt. I kind of hate that this is my number one recommendation, but I don't know your wife and I do know J. Kenji López-Alt. This one is brand new so you're unlikely to find it used and cheap, but as a catch-all recommendation it has to take first place. Moving on to the cheap stuff:
   
   
2. Regional French Cooking by Paul Bocuse. This is possibly the friendliest authoritative book on French food out there, and a hell of a lot easier to just dive into than Julia Child (Julia is the expert, and her book is an encyclopedia). Bocuse is the undisputed king of nouvelle cuisine and people like Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain (so maybe a generation ahead of you and I) came from him. Paul Bocuse is French food as we know it, and yet this book—an approachable, coffee-table sized thing—still has a recipe for fucking mac and cheese. It's outstanding.
   
   
3. Theory & Practice / The New James Beard by James Beard. These will completely cover your entire library of American cooking. Nothing else needed until you get region-specific. When you do, go for something like this.
   
   
4. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. When she died, the NYT ran a second obituary that was just her recipe for bolognese.
   
   
5. Christ, top five. Who gets 5th? I'm going with From Curries To Kebabs by Madhur Jaffrey. Don't get bamboozled into buying "Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Bible" which is the same book, repackaged and priced higher. You want the one with the hot pink dust jacket, it's unmistakeable. This is one of those end-all books that you could cook out of for the rest of your life. It covers almost every diet and almost every country that Beard and Bocuse don't.
   
   
6. Honorable mentions: Here come the downvotes. Pok Pok by Andy Ricker. If you're American and you want to cook Thai, this is the one. Ten Speed Press can go home now. The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Rosen (so close to making the list). I shouldn't need to say much about this; it's the book of diasporic Jewish food, which means it covers a lot of time and almost every possible country. It's a no-brainer. Thai Food by David Thompson (a perfect oral history of Thai food for English speakers, only it doesn't include Pok Pok's precise measurements, which in practice I've found important). Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish. Not for someone who just wants to become a baker, this book is for someone who wants to make Ken Forkish's bread. And for a casual bread baker I can't imagine a better introduction. Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham. Andrea Nguyen is out there and Andrea Nguyen is awesome, but I really like Mai Pham's book. It's accessible, reliable and regional. You don't get the dissertation-level breakdown on the origins of chicken pho that you get from Andrea, but the recipe's there, among many others, and it's fucking outstanding. Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. This vegan cookbook is dope as hell and will really expand your imagination when it comes to vegetables. This could actually have been number five.

My staple dishes are curries, Indian and Thai most recently. I love some curry! You can use tofu, chickpeas, beans, lentils, etc. It's a great way to use up the rest of your veggies and clean the fridge. Curries are so flavorful and easy to make. There are even premade sauces if you don't want to make them from scratch.

• Patak's
  
  
• Archer Farms Curry Sauces
  
  
• Kitchens of India
  
  
• Thai Kitchens Curry Pastes
  
  My favorite cookbooks have been:
  
  
• Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like you Give a F*ck
  
  
• Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook Her blog is really great as well: http://www.veganricha.com/
  
  
• Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen
  
  Some other blogs/youtubers I would recommend highly are:
  
  
• Hot for Food Lauren Toyota also has a blog: http://www.hotforfoodblog.com/ (My favorite recipe youtuber)
  
  
• Edgy Veg
  
  
• Mary's Test Kitchen
  
  
• So You're Dating a Vegan
  
  
• Sweet Potato Soul
  
  
• Show Me the Curry
  
  I am always branching out to new foods, Ethiopian is great for vegan cooking as is Indian, Thai, Italian, and Vietnamese. Soon you will take recipes you love and veganize them. Google search recipes you love and just preface it with vegan, the possibilities are endless.
  
  Build up your spice rack! Amazon is great for this, a great suggestion made to me was buy 1 new thing each time you grocery shop to expand your recipes and cooking.
  
  Thanks for your compassionate choice to join us and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

That's great! I'm glad I could help. Did you get a chance to try any non-dairy milks yet? I tried "Tempt" brand chocolate hemp milk the other day it was sooo great. Really smooth and creamy.

As far as recipes go, I'd recommend that you pick up a copy of Veganomicon: http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262068128&sr=8-1

It's helpful in that it tells you how to cook grains, legumes, vegetables and beans quite simply and easily. You can make your own meals using this knowledge. However, it also has a whole boat load of recipes that are almost always delicious.

Personally, I love to cook indian food. This is my basic recipe for a curry: http://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/ae8q2/i_love_indian_food_and_am_starting_to_get_into/c0h533g

Also, make nut cheeses and creams. They're better for you and the environment than any of the fake cheese substitutes you'll find in stores. Cashew cream is basically cashews soaked in water over night and then blended up in a food processor. It is delicious. Add a few things, and you've got a great "cheese" for a pizza (you don't even need to soak them for this).

Good luck! If you have any questions about anything, I'd highly recommend joining the PPK forums here: http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/index.php - there are plenty of friendly and sane vegans there who will gladly help you. I've also PM'd you my email address and I'm happy to help.

If you're into faux turkey, my faves (in order): Match, Field Roast (uhh the en croute whatever ones), Gardein, Tofurky. Match (everything they make) is juicy and perfectly flavored. The Field Roast en croute turkey thing was amazing (I loove the crusty part). Gardein is mostly boring because they're my go-to faux meat brand so I'm used to the flavor. Also their stuffing has raisins and weird colorful rice in it. Ew. Tofurky's pretty basic, but they were what I always had before vegan turkey selection exploded, so I might just have nostalgia for them.

This green bean casserole recipe.

Mashed potatoes you make the normal way. Just through whatever vegan butter and milk in them with salt and pepper.

I use a pumpkin pie recipe from a cookbook and I feel weird about posting things like that, so PM me if you're interested?

I don't know how Canadians roll on holidays, and my family's pretty boring anyways (the only difference between what I eat and what they eat besides mine being vegan is they usually microwave a can of corn also) so I can't think of much else thanksgiving-y. Repeat for xmas and easter. Seitan might also be a good idea. If you don't have wheat gluten on hand, I've heard of people making it with regular flour (I think they let it sit longer so gluten bonds can form). I've never made it for holidays, but there's a lentil soup(ish thing) in Veganomicon that would probably be delicious/amazing with whatever you're having. From where I can see, you can see the recipe if you do the "Look Inside" thing on amazon, so that's why I linked it. Just scroll down through the table of contents, it's under soups ("French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme") and on page 141.

I tried to think of holiday food that didn't involve faux whatever, but I'm definitely not one of those vegans that scoffs at imitation meats and cheeses and whatnot. I eat them all the damn time.

I keep trying to end this and I keep failing: I've never had homemade shephard's pie, and actually never had it before going vegan (I'd never heard of it) but that sound like a delicious holiday thing. Since I've only ever had this premade microwaveable one, I'm linking because I imagine if you combined those ingredients with some yummy spices you would have positive results.

I'm really done this time D:

I worked at a grocery store, cleaning the meat department. It was gross as hell, and I was the best cleaner there, which meant that overall, meat departments are awful awful places. So I stopped eating meat. These days, I think we don't need to kill things to eat, so in general we shouldn't if we don't have to. I try not to be strident or to push vegn eating on other people (I'll still go to lunch with people who eat meat, for example) because it's really annoying.

This was 1992, and I haven't eaten meat, fish, chicken, or anything like that since. I still eat eggs and dairy a little, but lately dairy makes me ill so I am cutting out the milk as well. I eat a ton of soy because it's useful and versatile.

Free-range meat and eggs are just to make people feel a little better about eating them. Same with "happy meat." It's nice that it's not factory farming, but you're still raising an animal for the sake of killing and eating it. It seems hypocritical to me.

Let me see... Favorite meals? I like to make burritos with various forms of TVP and fake meaty things. I make a damn fine dry-fried sake-miso-marinated tofu with udon. I've made a bourbon reduction sauce with spice-rubbed dry-fried fake chicken strips. I've made breaded and pan-fried tofu "wings" in buffalo sauce. I could go on, but you get the idea-- I don't eat brown rice and plain tofu every night, or, really, ever.

Your last question-- tofu shouldn't be lumped in with fake meats. It's not really an attempt to emulate meat in any way-- it's a totally different kind of thing. It does take some thought to cook it-- you need to figure out marinades and different frying techniques, and you can't just throw it in a pan and know it'll come out tasting great without you having to do much with it. On its own it's a flavorless lump, but it soaks up marinades and spices like crazy, and you can cook it a bunch of different ways for different effects. Generally you'll want to cook with extra-firm tofu, and you'll want to press the liquid out of it before cooking it (I put it between paper towels on a plate and put another plate and some books on top for half an hour or so).

Fake meats are useful for converting recipes (like the bourbon reduction I mentioned before) since you can usually drop in a package of fake chicken strips from Trader Joe's in place of chicken in most things. (And you can always get a package of Tofurky and make a sandwich.) Some of them are really expensive; some are not very good. Some are better for cooking in different ways. You may have to try them, or get advice from people who have already done a lot of cooking...

Beware of tempeh. It's a weird sort of fermented grain thing, and it's very difficult to make it totally palatable. I still don't cook with it much since it's easy to do poorly and it's super gross if you aren't careful with it. Consider that an advanced vegetarian protein and get used to cooking with tofu first. 8)

If you're curious, Veganomicon is a FANTASTIC cookbook. You could eat from it for years without getting bored:

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

If you want to cook various ethnic foods, I've had a good time with Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian cookbook:

http://www.amazon.com/Madhur-Jaffreys-World-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0609809237

It has all kinds of stuff to try out, and goes into detail on methods and techniques of cooking different vegetarian proteins.

There are also vegan and vegetarian message boards around if you want to ask people who do more cooking and have tried a lot of things.

The biggest problem when starting out vegetarian will be going out to eat. You may find that your favorite restaurants are no longer good places for you to eat, or that going out with friends involves more negotiation. It also depends on where you live. Most largish cities will have at least a few vegetarian or vegan restaurants, or will have restaurants with veg options on the menus. Be prepared for some disappointing or annoying experiences while you figure it out. Finding local vegns to hang out with will help that, but you may have to be firm with your friends and convince them that it's not just a phase and that you're not just trying it out for a while. (This assumes, of course, that it's not just a phase and that you aren't just trying it out for a while.)

Be prepared for people to give you a hard time. Don't be afraid to tell them that it's your decision and if they have a problem with it they can go to hell (or perhaps something more polite). Lots of people will think it's clever to start asking you things like "what about plants? aren't plants alive too?" and "Chickens have a brain the size of a peanut-- they're not intelligent or anything!" and "clams are so simple they're hardly animals at all!" and so on and so forth. A million stupid and time-worn jokes. Just be ready.

People also like to argue with vegetarians about things because they think you're judging them. Ideally, you aren't judging them-- if you are, I'd suggest hiding it unless you really want to get into a fight, since people take it very personally. I usually tell people that it's my decision and I don't really care what they do.

Anyway, it's a great decision to make, although it's not always easy. There are lots of groups of supportive people out there, and it's a lot easier to go veg these days than it was back in 1992 (or earlier! Imagine eating vegetarian in the US in the 70's!). Good luck! Ask questions, and don't be afraid to try stuff!

Inspired by u/epicnormalcy’s delightful NSV, I too went to the salon and got my hair cut. Not quite a pixie cut since it’s the middle of October and my ears need a little coverage, but shorter than I’ve been comfortable having it cut in over 3 years. FH is very excited that this could mean the bows will be returning since skinny!Kate-o was a lover of hair bows in all varieties. They always made me feel pretty and I guess I kind of just... gave up on that as I gained weight. Maybe this weekend I’ll see if I still have any of them.

It’s the tiniest bit of progress, but I did in fact cast on the left sleeve of my cardigan. And that’s the hard part! I could have picked up the edge stitches seamlessly, but I kind of like that it’s sunk in a bit. Hoping to get about halfway done today while binge watching something on Netflix.

Game night may or may not be happening tonight but either way I’m making jalapeño poppers and the chicken broccoli Alfredo soup that u/shakatay29 shared earlier this week. I went ahead and pre-ordered Carolyn Ketchum’s new book Keto Soups & Stews so that I’ll be extra-ready for the cold and also for my new job since for the first couple of weeks I’m hoping to do a batch of soup for lunch prep to keep things easy.

Enjoy your weekend and KCKO, y’all! ❤️

I'd recommend lasagna, make a whole tray and it will last you many meals and freezes well. You can find basic recipes on the back of lasagna noodle boxes. Add spinach, squash, zucchini, etc to make it healthier. I know people who use cottage cheese instead of ricotta which makes it cheaper and healthier (and they swear it still tastes as good).

Personally, I make a lot of daal makhani and I'll eat it over the course of a week and it still tastes amazing. However the ingredients may be tricky to find if you don't have a good Indian store nearby/are a cooking newbie. Unfortunately I can't give you a recipe as I don't know the English names for several key ingredients. The internet is your friend, however I'd suggest leaving out any milk or cream, it'll probably make it spoil faster and (in my opinion) does not taste any better.

Thai green curry and red curry are actually surprisingly simple to make. They may not last a whole week, but 3-5 days at least. You can find curry paste at your local Asian grocery store. Regular grocery stores carry it, too, but it's wayyy more expensive and less tasty. Pan fry garlic and onions in oil, add the curry paste and coconut milk. Make it a soup by adding a cup or two of veggie or chicken broth. Add your favorite veggies (my faves are green beans, bell peppers, broccoli and onions) + protein and ta da! Delicious food for all and easy to make in bulk.

As far as soups go, I have a book called 500 Soups. It's got a pretty good variety and has a lot of meal-in-a-bowl type dishes and I think a whole section on healthy soups as well.

Lastly, another Indian dish... palak paneer. It requires no fancy spices and is super healthy. You can substitute chicken for the paneer if you don't want to go to an Indian store. If you do that, I'd recommend simmering the chicken for a bit in the spinach mixture after you puree it so it soaks up the flavors more. You can eat it with rice or wrap it up in a tortilla like a burrito. Should last you most of a week in the fridge.

As others have said, start small. I'm actually going through the same thing myself and here's what's worked for me:

I paid a pro to shape my eyebrows
I never knew how to groom or shape my eyebrows. I have always kept the strays in check, but they were never shaped and are a bit bushy. I went to a pro, told them I needed The Works and let them do their thing. the difference is amazing! I feel so much more groomed and feminine when I look in the mirror now! Now I have more motivation to work on my hair/makeup/skin because of how much of a difference that one change made, and because those fabulous brows demand a pretty face to go with them! :)

Changed my underwear
I've always tended toward the cheap, comfy undies, but I've realized that underwear can be a pretty powerful tool. I feel so sexy and feminine when I have on a nice, lacy pair of panties and a lacy bra! It changes the way I walk, the way I talk, and the way I act. It's magic! It can be challenging to find pretty panties that don't give you an atomic wedgie, but if you can find comfy ones, they are simply divine! Try getting just one pair and really observe how you feel/act when you're wearing them.

Slow cooker to the rescue
I've had THIS cookbook for a while, but didn't use it much. This week, I sat down for about 20 minutes, picked 3 of the slow cooker recipes, and made a shopping list of about 12 items from it. This will yield me about 18 servings of food for the week with minimal effort. My plan is to dish out individual portions, freeze them, and eat them for lunch and dinner all week long. I think using the slow cooker to get started is going to be really helpful. I don't have to worry about learning any new techniques or about burning it, but it will get me in the habit of cooking and it will improve my knife skills. Once I'm more comfortable, I'll move on to more complicated things. :)

Finances... um yeah...
I'm struggling with this one myself. The only thing I can say is to cut out things you know you don't need or are detrimental to your other goals.
Prime candidates:
Soda
Beer
Partying
Fast food
*Eating out (except with friends - that's investment in relationships)

Try to think of your spending in terms of investment. For example, I recently bought a retinol cream. It was about $20, and my brow shaping was $24. I used to feel bad spending money on things like this, but now I'm trying to frame them as investments in my future self. When you're about to spend money, think "What am I investing in right now?". If you don't have an answer, or if you know that you're actually doing the opposite - maybe you don't need it. I'm sure there are exceptions, but this is the rule of thumb I'm using.

Gym....
Struggling with this one too. I really like lifting. It helped me lose 30lbs once and I feel great when I'm doing it. Problem is that gyms here are expensive and my apartment gym doesn't have barbells.
Only advice I have here is to try a bunch of things and see what you like. Catch is, don't try them once or twice, try them for a month. I hated lifting the first couple times I went. I could barely bench the bar and I hurt SO bad a couple days after. I felt weak and miserable. If I had quit then, I doubt I would have lost that weight, and I wouldn't have discovered that I actually like lifting. It takes a while for your body to adjust. Don't give up too easily. :)

I could slap your beautiful face right now. But it's okay, because I know some kick ass cook books that will show you how to make yummy vegan food. Betty goes Vegan is a cookbook that vegan-izes classic american dishes. Also the Veganomicon might as well be the vegan bible when it comes to cooking. Every recipe I've tried in this one has been delicious. Personally recommend the Spiced Sweet Potatoes and the Herbed Scalloped Potatoes because they are pretty easy to make.

Also The Sweetest Vegan is a fantastic food blog that also has amazing food on it. It's another one where everything I've tried has been amazing. I haven't tried out anything on Vegan Dad but I know a bunch of vegans who love his stuff. He also has a cook book out but many of the recipes are online. The Vegan Stoner is good because he/she makes recipes that are cheap and fast. Another one that I haven't tried out too many on but I know is popular.

For raw eating I would head over to Fully Raw Kristina I buy food from her fully organic co-op and she is a huge sweetheart. She has several recipes and tips on her youtube page and she also has her own website with some other information. Also if you can't find the answer to a question you have about eating raw you can easily contact her via email.

This is not a cookbook but a single recipe. It is so delicious though that I felt I needed to share it with you. I loved tacos when I was non-vegan and thought I would have to live without. Then I found this recipe. My non-vegan boyfriend told me these were the best tacos I have ever made, meaty or non-meaty. Good luck with your vegan cooking adventure!

Most delicious vegan tacos! via The Snarky Chickpea

Ok, for my cookbook recommendation I like this one. It is full of brunchy deliciousness.

Edit: Added a link

Both my partner and I are vegetarians and we both like to cook. We often cook enough food to have leftovers, so our go to "quick meal" is often reheating leftovers.

If you like Indian food, this Easy Chana Masala recipe is one of our favorites. You can skip the mango powder if you don't have it/can't find it/don't want to bother getting it.

For making rice, if you don't have a rice cooker, having a gas stove is the best. But if you have electric, the best method uses two burners - 1 on high to bring the rice to a boil and the other on low to cover and simmer on. I usually do a 2 to 1 ratio water to rice and simmer white rice around 15 minutes, brown rice around 45 minutes. I also enjoy a curry rice as a side dish - simmer 1-2 tsp curry powder in butter or oil for 2 mintues; add 1 cup rice, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil and then simmer 15 minutes for white or 45 minutes for brown rice.

For making beans, canned beans work pretty well when pressed for time, but I recommend using dried beans for better flavor and texture. Soaking your beans overnight really helps to reduce your cooking time on dried beans, but that does mean you have to plan ahead.

I'm not sure if you want cookbook suggestions, but here are a few good ones that I like:

• Veganomicon
  
• The Heart of the Plate
  
• The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - not exclusively vegetarian, but it has a lot of good vegetarian recipes
  
  If you're looking for recipes, there are a lot of vegetarian/vegan food blogs out there and you can also check out /r/VegRecipes and /r/veganrecipes.

My family is mostly German, so meat is a pretty big part of what we ate (sausages, schnitzels, and a lot of bbq-ing). I went veg in high school and it wasn't too much trouble for me - my parents didnt' cook two meals, but just an extra veggie protein for me when I wanted that. The other things were vegetarian anyway (like potatoes, vegetables, and most soups).

I strayed away until I was in my early twenties. Then it was a bit more difficult because none of my friends were vegetarian and we all ate out a lot. It was a short transition (went cold turkey) but I had a package of chicken breasts in my freezer that I told myself I was allowed to eat if I wanted to since I had already purchased them. I never ended up eating them and 3 months later gave the package to my room-mate so they wouldn't go to waste. It was helpful to know that I had this plan in case I got weak, but was motivated enough to not give in.

Veggie burgers can taste amazing or meh... depends on the variety. Many replicate meat quite well and actually taste better considering it leaves you feeling a little lighter than a meat burger. If you want the "meat" kind then avoid grain burgers as they taste a bit more "natural". I personally like those, but they aren't really a replacement.

Downsides are that you can sometimes be considered an outcast at meals - sometimes people make a big deal out of trying to make sure you're "okay", and that you have enough to eat. Just be polite and easy going to get through this kind of stuff. It's no big deal. Also, you need to be careful how you talk about your own vegetarianism - always let others make their own decisions and don't judge them (out loud at least). Having discussions is good, but don't get into any arguments or be preachy. It only turns people off of the lifestyle and reinforces a stereotype of "the preachy vegetarian". Talk about the positives when people ask you about your new diet and leave out the horror of animal welfare and factory farming until someone seems truly interested in these things. You can mention that you're veg for ethical reasons (if that's true), and that you don't want to contribute to the suffering of animals, but don't get into gory details - most people feel threatened by that and it usually turns into a ridiculous argument. Remember that your diet is your choice, and they have the freedom to make their own choices. Show them how easy and delicious being vegetarian is rather than how awful their lifestyle is.

Upsides are plently, here are a couple:

• longer average lifespan
  
• you're minimizing you impact on animal suffering
  
• you're minimizing your contributions to environmental issues associated with meat farming
  
• delicious food options that many meat eaters never experience
  
• usually less expensive than eating meat
  
• a generally healthier lifestyle
  
• not having to have 3 separate cutting boards for meat, fish and veggies - just one for everything!
  
  Before you make the transition, have a plan (buy some alternatives and talk to your family), and also write down the reasons you're doing it in pretty elaborate detail. If you are tempted to eat meat, read your reasons again and remind yourself why you made the change in the first place. Add to the list as you grow and change in perspective.
  
  Lastly, if you plan to cook a lot, get the Veganomicon. I've found this book to be indispensable since a friend gave it to me.

Hey! I see you're a new vegan! You might want some good resources for vegan cooking and recipes. Check out some of my favourite vegan cookbooks:

Veganomicon has really good recipes and some basic recipes.

Minimalist Baker. She's got an amazing blog that I cook from all the time. It's maybe my favourite vegan source for recipes.

Thug Kitchen. Not my favourite recipes, but the book is hilarious. Also a blog.

Oh She Glows Also really healthy, lovely vegan food. Also a blog.

Good luck with your new journey, and I hope these bring you some fun ideas!

"Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is her classic, in every library and its pretty easy to find at a used bookstore for next to nothing. Quite a few of the sauces will involve some creative keto work to get aroud the roux but at least it'll be an interesting experiment.

I just picked up How To Cook Meat second hand and have been working my way through the cuts of meat I would've been less likely to buy on my own. Combine it with a former favorite from my past life, Veganomicon and I've got a nearly limitless supply of new meat and veg dinners.

I'm lucky that vegan years helped me out in the "omg this food is so boring" phases so now I've got all kinds of methods to deal with it but getting a cookbook and plowing through every recipe in it is still one of my favorites. Modifying recipes to be animal product free before and carb and sugar free now makes it all the more interesting. Last month I got on a medieval cooking kicking and started making the amazingly named: Grave of Small Birds.

The best advice that I can give you is what really got me into pressure cooking with my new Instant Pot...a really good cookbook! The best one that I've used so far is:
The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book: 500 Easy Recipes for Every Machine, Both Stovetop and Electric https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0804185328/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6N7XCb2F3HSKB

This wonderful book has so many great, simple recipies with easy to follow instructions. I've done many recipes from that book and I feel like I'm eating like a queen! 👑 Also, I learned what Compote is and just how wonderfully delicious it is served over vanilla ice cream!!

Oh yeah, I used to be vegan...I am into it.

Taste: It is very bland by itself, but no one that I know eats it straight. It can be made into many tasty things. It is in a lot of faux meats. It is a lot like tofu in that it takes up the flavor of things around it. I think that Isa Chandra is like... the wheat gluten goddess. All of her recipes involving wheat gluten that I've made I've been a fan of. I'm a big fan of her "Chickpea Cutlet" recipe ([recipe here] (http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/)).

Check out [Veganomicon] (http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X) and [Isa Does It!] (http://www.amazon.com/Isa-Does-Amazingly-Delicious-Recipes/dp/0316221902/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427495938&sr=1-1&keywords=isa+does+it). Both of those books have winning recipes that use wheat gluten as an ingredient.

Expense: Varies wildly. If you find it at a hippie woo-woo place in an individually sealed package (e.g., Bob's Red Mill), the markup can be insane. On the other hand, you can get it cheaply per pound if you can find it in a bulk bin at a place like Whole Foods.

You can get it at an extra "discount" if you find it in a bulk bin but label it as some kind of flour. ;)

My Experience: I made some dang tasty recipes with the stuff, but eventually, I stopped eating it because I personally find that I don't tolerate it as well (it just made me gassy). But more importantly, the recipes I like it best in have a higher protein to carb ratio than I'd prefer during a cut...and when I'm bulking, I'm too busy filling my face with all the things so I usually forget about wheat gluten.

Hope this helps!

Cut the salt:
Cut the bouillon cubes, ketchup, sun chips, tuna = find a low sodium tuna packed in water, Vegetable soups/stew = I can only assume that you will buy these in cans- which is major sodium and preservatives - I would suggest making your own with a store bought low-sodium broth base and lots of veggies: my favorite soup/stew book:http://www.amazon.com/Love-Soup-All-New-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0393332578 (you can probably check it out from the library) -I will allow the hummus and bacon - but don't overdo it...Also- careful with canned beans- they pack a lot of sodium in there.

Get rid of the frozen pizza - those probably have more sat.fat and sodium than your bacon! (And they're pricey)

Not sure what what "Jar'd Vindaloo Curry" is- but if it comes in a jar- it probably isn't so great... I would suggest making it from scratch - try: http://www.currydishes.com/indian-recipes/chicken-vindaloo-curry.html

Ground Beef- try the leaner cut
Cut the fat: skim instead of 1% milk - time to make the switch
I also don't find nutrigrain bars very filling- but that is a personal preference.. To me- those are pretty much empty calories that will lead you to more bacon covered with hummus in the end. I would suggest something with higher fiber- like an apple and some almonds/walnuts.

Great thing to do: Make a lasagna with whole wheat pasta, frozen spinach (for your budget), ground turkey or beef, etc. : http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--3779/light-and-healthy-spinach-lasagna.asp (not a bad recipe) - then cut it up, and wrap individual servings- and throw them in the freezer- they will be good for about 6 months. Take one to work and you're good. You can freeze some of those soups too.

Best of luck- I find that even when I'm tired- making time to cook is the best thing to do... tasty and healthy foods are awesome.

I had a lot of fun blasting 80's music and rocking out while cooking dinner tonight! I was only alive for one year of the 80's but I love the music, the movies and in high school I was very inspired by the fashions too! Never really thought about the foods of the 80's before now though, more new things that wouldn't have happened without this challenge.

I made the vodka sauce recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook, substituting cashew cream for immersion-blended almonds. It was so good!! This will definitely become a regular dinner!

The walnuts were simply cooked with some brown sugar.

The raspberry vinaigrette is from the Vitamix website and was easy to make and pretty good I substituted apple syrup and agave syrup for the honey in this recipe.

"Blackened Aspargus" might not actually be a thing, and it's really just sauteed in olive oil with salt and pepper and no cajun spices at all, but I thought that one more 80's element would really round out the meal!

Yeah blandness is not something I'm into. I was 16 when I first went to the dark side, and I tried to find as many awesome recipes as I could to convince family and friends I wasn't just a masochist, haha.

Basically anything from Isa Chandra Moskowitz is going to be good. She is all about flavor.

If you like Italian food, Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen is bangin'. ByChefChloe has a ton of her recipes. Mama's spaghetti and meatballs is one of our favorites. I usually make the meatballs and serve with pesto, I'm not really crazy about spaghetti.

One of my favorite restaurants is The Grit, and they also have a cookbook. If you check out the preview/look inside feature, you'll find a recipe for black bean chili that I dream about from time to time. A lot of my friends still live in Athens and I use them as my excuse to go eat there. There's also a yeast gravy recipe you can see in the preview, and that over some of their tofu (next page), brown rice, and steamed veggies... I think I know what I'm prepping for lunches next week now, haha.

You've received a lot of great comments and tips. My two cents: instead of a crockpot/slow cooker, consider getting an electric pressure cooker. I have the Instant Pot, which is primarily an electric pressure cooker but also has a slow cooker function. Best of both worlds in one unit! Then, you can make all the excellent slow-cooker recipes you have here on top of the quick and super-easy pressure cooker ones. My favorite pressure cooker sites are:

[Dad Cooks Dinner] (http://dadcooksdinner.com/)

[Hip Pressure Cooking] (http://www.hippressurecooking.com/)

Favorite PC cookbooks - either [Great Big Pressure Cooker] (https://www.amazon.com/Great-Big-Pressure-Cooker-Book/dp/0804185328/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1483205095&sr=8-5&keywords=pressure+cooker+cookbook) cookbook, or any of the Lorna Sass books like Cooking Under Pressure, etc.

Best of luck to you!

Find a good vegetarian cookbook. Two fantastic ones for vegetarians are How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. Both of them have tons of recipes which don't use fake meat or processed ingredients.

If you're serious about reducing or avoiding all animal products, you might want to look for a good vegan cookbook as well. I like the Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romano. It's good because it covers a huge range of dishes, and if there something you're especially craving (like Sloppy Joes or Chicken Pot Pie) you can usually find a reasonable analogue.

I'm basically vegetarian for practical reasons when I eat with friends or at restaurants, and vegan when I cook for myself at home. If you're going to be relearning how to cook without meat, I've found it's really pretty easy to take the extra step and cut out dairy and eggs as well.

Good luck. We're here if you need it. In the meanwhile, here are some good vegan cooking starters:

Chloe's Vegan Italian Cookbook
Some are simple, some less so. All so far have been fantastic.

The Lotus and the Artichoke
Lots of restaurant favorites and a good way to get your feet wet on things like tofu, seitan and tempeh.

Joy of Vegan Baking
Hands down the best vegan cookbook I've ever had.

Hello, egg fast day #2 is in the books. I broke after work and indulged in 1 tablespoon of hwc in a glass of cold brew coffee. I am down 1.5 lbs in two days! I will be sticking with it through Thursday dinner! One huge benefit is I am rarely hungry, and I could not finish my 3-egg omelet last night! The grilled cheese chaffles are a keeper and I think I could do them every day at work for lunch, and try to change my daily keto plan to be more egg-based.

I bought Carolyn Ketchum's Keto Soups and Stews book and I will buy everything to make her Taco Soup on Friday for dinner. It looks amazing! It is my first Keto cookbook. I usually just browse google if I want a particular recipe.

Lunch was egg salad and a grilled cheese chaffle with some moon cheese, a Babybel, and a cheese stick. Dinner was a 2-egg omelet with Havarti cheese. I had one cappuccino cheesecake in the afternoon.

Today will be much of the same, although I hope my afternoon hunger is less. I have tea to enjoy after my coffee is finished. Sparkling flavored seltzer is definitely a big help for me.

I'm below flair weight!

KCKO ♥

I don't think you will have to worry about getting sick! Hopefully you start to feel more energy and less allergies if you stick to a plant based diet, which I definitely would recommend. Those substitutes might help you with your transition though, so don't rule them out completely if you feel like you are going to eat non-vegan to fulfill a craving.

I definitely recommend getting a good cookbook though or finding a good website, and teaching yourself to cook. Once you do that it is habit, and you won't think of cooking any other way. Check out this website:
http://www.theppk.com/

And I always recommend this book for newbies. It really helped me when I became a vegan!
http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

I think you may have some misconceptions about the purpose of an amuse. It is a very powerful and effective tool to set the tone for a diner's entire experience and is worthy of your utmost respect. Designing and executing a great amuse takes (arguably) more skill and subtlety than creating a full dish. Educate yourself:

http://www.amazon.com/Amuse-Bouche-Little-Delight-Before-Begins/dp/0375507604/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425447297&sr=8-1&keywords=amuse+cookbook

Be careful with equating vegan with healthy. Cutting out meat and dairy from your diet doesn't make it a good diet. Eating healthy foods does - like plenty of vegetables, nuts, beans, and legumes, plus fruits. I would suggest getting a vegan cookbook ( Veganomicon is a good one). It has delicious recipes and will teach you how to work in foods like soy and seitan into your cooking routine as well.

Remember, the more your cook your meals yourself, the healthier they will be (generally). Also, just because something is vegan (french fries) doesn't mean it is healthy. Good luck with the turn-around. Go get 'em.

I am mostly vegetarian, so I will offer some suggestions.

1. Stir fry rice and vegetables - just make your favorite asian style sauce. I like restaurant style teriyaki or hoisin.
   
   
2. Pretty much anything with potatoes. I like to peel, cube and boil potatoes and then simmer them with sauteed garlic and onions along with a can of Rotel. I'll then throw some cheese on top. You can also try many other versions of potatoes with cooked vegetables and cheese. It's delicious!
   
   
3. Pretty much any kind of italian style pasta can be made vegetarian. I like pesto sauce, butter sage sauce, and the classic marinara.
   
   
4. It's cold outside, so soups are great. Check out 12 months of monastery soups for lots of great vegetarian soup recipes.
   
   
5. When I'm in a hurry, I eat a refried bean and cheese burrito with salsa. I know you said you don't like beans, but I love refried beans and I eat a lot of refried bean and cheese burritos.

I make two of my own plus a garlic pepper blend I use as a base rub for most of my BBQ meats, but purchase 3 or 4 others that have a following on the competition trail, like Dizzy Pig or Smokin' Guns.

The best advice for making your own is to buy good spices online (storebought ones can be years old), and also check out Paul Kirk's book, it is very helpful in teaching you how to combine seasonings for your own rubs, and has good recipes too.

try this one man http://www.amazon.ca/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X it doesn't have pictures which is disappointing but the meals are super taste. Or there is this one http://www.amazon.ca/Vegetarian-Bible-Garden-Nicola-Graimes/dp/1407524283/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1344894830&sr=8-8 this one has some pretty simple recipes

Honestly the internet is a great place to find meals too.

'Ello and welcome!

1. I've been telling people that may not have watched them to watch the holy trilogy of older Aaron Sorkin shows. The West Wing (which I see on your list), Sports Night, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Beyond that, I actually really like The Good Wife. There's lots of nerdy technology stuff. They did an episode on bit coin I think. I'm told there's even an episode about reddit. Plus if you're a legal/political nerd like myself, it's a great show.
   
   
2. If you're going to get a waffle maker, you need this cookbook to accompany it. I have it and the recipes I've made are amaze town, USA.
   
   Waffles: Sweet & Savory Recipes for Every Meal https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616282053/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_eCJ.tb0GYKFR9
   
   

My [crockpot chili recipe] (http://www.voxpopnj.com/2010/12/512/) is as hearty as meat based chili and loved by vegans & omnivores alike! Simple, cheap, and a good way to ease into vegan eating, or serve when hosting people with a variety of dietary habits.

Also, highly recommend Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero - filled with great traditional dishes made vegan including an incredible version of mac-n-cheese called "Mac Daddy".

My favorites are the Veganomicon and The Homemade Vegan Pantry

Depending on your frame of reference neither is super cheap but I highly recommend them.

I've picked up a few free ebooks but I've never made anything from one. I guess my favorite free vegan cookbook is googling any item + vegan then making that.

The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook: Entertaining for Absolutely Every Occasion - Isa Chandra Moskowitz

The Joy of Vegan Baking, Revised and Updated Edition: More than 150 Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets - Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Vegan Mac and Cheese: More than 50 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food - Robin Robertson

Hot for Food Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face - Lauren Toyota

Mac and cheese! 50 vegan recipes!? I'll be in my kitchen for awhile testing these recipes alone.

Congrats! I went vegetarian when I was 18 and taught myself to cook over the next few years (and I'm still learning, 9 years later). I would recommend picking up a beginner vegan cookbook (for example). I second retirethecow's recommendation of my all-time favorite the Veganomicon, which has a range of simple to more complicated (and DELICIOUS) recipes and tips for preparing veggies in a basic, every-day way.

Remember: The key to a truly healthful vegan diet is eating a pile of veggies every day. Get to know the produce department and impress your friends by knowing the difference between a turnip and parsnip.

It's rare that I get to a page on my frontpage that threads like yours appear. I guess it's your lucky day!

Last year I bought a ramen cookbook after reviewing what was available here in Germany. In the end I chose "Ramen: Japanese noodles and small dishes" by Tove Nilsson. What I liked most about it was that most of the book focused on actual Ramen you would find in Japan. You might think: what else should a ramen cookbook contain? From my observation: a lot of weird stuff that you'll never try that will be completely useless for you. Tove Nilsson covers the basics, the traditional dishes, some new and funky ones and shows a bunch of different ways on how to do certain recipes (what kinda broths you can use, three or four different ways to make chashu and so on)

Last December I finally made my first ramen from the book! And it was delicious. Classic Shoyu Ramen with a chicken-pork broth, homemade chashu. I still have to post the pics on /r/ramen ...

Bonus points for a bunch of Japanese side dishes like Gyoza, a lot of topping recipes and so on.

For those who have asked for the recipe. You're welcome :)

Recipe from: Ramen: Japanese Noodles and Small Dishes

​

Pork-Chicken Broth (Results in 2.5-3 L):

- 4 L water

- 1 boiling fowl (chicken)

- 400g pork bacon (fresh back fat)

- 2 pieces Kombu (6-8g)

- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms

- 1 piece ginger (10cm), in slices

- 6 spring onions

- 4 tablespoons bonito flakes (Katsuobushi)

​

1. put all ingredients except the bonito flakes in a pot
   
2. bring to boil and skim off after the first boiling up
   
3. add the bonito flakes and simmer without lid for 3-5 hours
   
4. strain the finished broth
   
5. salt before use, or season with tare as desired
   
6. the broth can be kept for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the deep-frozen state. It is therefore worth preparing several portions for storage.
   
   ​
   
   ​
   
   Ramen Noodles (12-16 portions):
   
   - 2.5 Teaspoon Kansui or roasted baking powder (Bake the baking powder at 135° C for 35 minutes)
   
   - 500 ml cold water
   
   - 1 tablespoon salt
   
   - 500g wheat flour (Type 550)
   
   - 550g Italian flour Tipo 00
   
   - corn starch or potato starch for flouring
   
   ​
   
   
7. mix baking powder/kansui and water in a bowl until the powder dissolves in the water. Add the salt and dissolve.
   
8. Mix both kinds of flour in the bowl in a stirring machine and add the liquid with the dough hook at a low speed. Continue stirring for about 15 minutes until a rubbery, fairly firm dough is obtained. If the ingredients have not combined into a dough after 10 minutes, add 1-2 tablespoons of water and continue stirring.
   
9. Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a work surface floured with starch using your hands and elbows (it is difficult to work with).
   
10. Put in a bowl covered with cling film for 1 hour at room temperature.
    
11. Press the dough flat and cut into 16 equal pieces about 4-5 cm wide.
    
12. for medium-thin noodles, turn the dough to level 4 (Kitchenaid kitchen machine) through the pasta machine; for thinner noodles, set a higher level. Dust the dough plates with starch.
    
13. cut the dough into fine strips with the machine. Dust again with some corn starch and knot into bundles.
    
14. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for about 45 seconds shortly before serving. Then rinse immediately under cold water so that they do not become too soft and do not stick together.
    
15. can be kept for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months when frozen. It is therefore worth preparing several portions for storage.
    
    ​
    
    ​
    
    Ajitsuke Tamago (Marinated Eggs) - Marinate for 6 eggs:
    
    - 6 eggs
    
    - 100 ml Japanese soy sauce
    
    - 50 ml Mirin
    
    - 100 ml water
    
    - 1 tablespoon roughly chopped ginger
    
    ​
    
    
16. boil the water in a saucepan, reduce the temperature slightly, put the eggs in and cook for 6 minutes. We want the egg yolk to remain soft/liquid.
    
17. rinse the eggs under cold water until they have cooled down
    
18. Bring soy sauce, mirin, water and ginger to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
    
19. allow to cool slightly and pour into a large screw glass. Peel the eggs and place in the marinade.
    
20. Marinate for 10-24 hours in the fridge.
    
    ​
    
    Chashu (pork belly) 400g
    
    
21. salt the pork belly well (especially the fat rind)
    
22. sous-vide the pork belly at 85°C for 6 hours (optionally let it cool down and then leave the pork belly in the fridge with the vacuum bag for up to 12 hours)
    
23. Take the pork belly out of the bag and cook it with the fat on top in a small baking form in the oven for 25 minutes at 220°C circulating air with the fat on top and spread Teriyaki sauce from time to time (if available, switch on the grill function for the last 10 minutes).
    
24. Take out of the oven and cut into pieces or slices of any desired thickness.
    
    ​
    
    ​
    
    Miso Ramen (4 servings)
    
    - 1.8-2 L Pig-Chicken Broth
    
    - 4 portions of ramen noodles
    
    - 2 tablespoons red miso
    
    - 2 tablespoons white Miso
    
    - 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
    
    ​
    
    Topping:
    
    - 400g Chashu (roasted pork belly) in slices or pieces+
    
    - 2 baby Pak-choi in pieces
    
    - 3 spring onions, cut into fine strips
    
    - 4 Ajitsuke Tamago (marinated eggs)
    
    ​
    
    
25. simmer the Pak-Choi with garlic for about 5 minutes
    
26. boil the broth in a saucepan, then reduce heat. Stir in the miso and ginger.
    
27. Cook the noodles for 45 seconds in boiling water. Rinse immediately with cold water, drain well and distribute into the bowls.
    
28. spread the pak-choi on the bowls
    
29. serve with the chashu, the egg halves and the finely chopped spring onions.

Since we are all a little lazy... Here are links to all of the books in my stack:
Betty Goes Vegan (my mom got this one for my boyfriend - so not strictly mine - in hopes that he would cook for me. I am pressing the tofu right now at his request, so far so good)

Vegan Eats World

Eat Drink & Be Vegan

The 30 Minute Vegan

Thug Kitchen

The Lusty Vegan (my sister bought this one for me)

One-Dish Vegan

Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker

Vegan Brunch (second most used, the muffin recipes in here are crazy easy to customize)

Vegan Yum Yum

Twelve Months of Monastery Soups (not blatantly vegan, but almost entirely so)

The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook (My most used, and longest owned, the best of all. All super simple ingredients, only non-vegan ingredient mentioned is honey on occasion)

The Veganomicon is good, as is The Vegetarian Goddess cookbook. They can be a little froo-froo in places, but the recipes are good. Nice thing about goddess is that it gives seasonably appproprita foods. We went veg for a while, and I dropped weight and felt better. Went back to meat, started feeling sluggish. Our goal is 80/20 veg/meat, seems to be a good balance.

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404513269&sr=1-1&keywords=veganomicon

http://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Vegetarian-Goddess-Delectable-Through/dp/1567180167/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404513372&sr=1-1&keywords=green+goddess+cookbook

I love to make soups; black bean, split pea, chili, tomato, lentil, etc., and serve them with a big salad topped with avocado, and sometimes baked squash. Root veggies, avocado, and beans are my go to "fill me up" items.

I also like to grill a ton of different veggies and then mix them into the soups when I serve. Sort of like a vegan stew.

I can't stress enough how important the Veganomicon cookbook is for new Vegans. It is worth every penny.

Here are some great cooking sites and videos:

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/easy-vegan-pho?

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/39-last-minute-vegan-thanksgiving-recipes?

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/50-cozy-vegan-fall-stews?

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/butternut-squash-kale-chickpea-massaman-curry

https://minimalistbaker.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/veganrecipes/

http://veganfoodlover.com/

http://ohsheglows.com/

http://www.isachandra.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF-ACPYNN0oXD4ihS5mbbmw

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudzojQxnLAI7uQPVYJy_oQ

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr1PC384fLPw5PxyXecQDTw

I see you like cooking, could you be interested in trying to make some Japanese Dishes? Or perhaps we could try colouring a book each with Watercolour Pencils?

​

Maybe I could interest you in Pocahontas (Amazon is out of stock ATM but you can still order from them).

​

Anyway- GOOD MORNING. :)

You need the Veganomicon. It has been the best for helping me learn cooking techniques, stock my pantry, and find foods I enjoy that are healthy. http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334275750&sr=8-1

Also, I keep track of my food intake and activities here: http://www.fitday.com
It has helped so much.

Welcome to the fold. :)

Here are the ingredients I used:

• Whole wheat pizza dough purchased from grocery store (ball of raw dough)
  
• Marinara Sauce from Veganomicon
  
• Life Changing Mozzarella (doubled the recipe) from Fuss Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Foods
  
• red onion
  
• red pepper
  
• sauteed mushrooms
  
• green olives
  
  
  I'm going to freeze them to have on hand for late-night snacks!
  
  
  One ball of dough made 10 pizza pockets (3 not pictured). I have about 1 cup of mozzarella left, and 2 cups of marinara left... which is the perfect amount to make vegan hamburger helper lasagna with tomorrow :)

If you're into seitan and other vegan food, check out theppk.com . They have some great free recipes on the site and some awesome cookbooks as well such as the Veganomicon. If you're new to seitan and don't want to jump in right away, may I suggest chickpea cutlets which use wheat gluten but also contain chick peas (which gives a more complete amino acid profile anyway). One of my favorites. I highly recommend Isa's stuff.

I've heard great things about this vegan cookbook from vegan friends, so that's always an idea.

Does he have runes? You could get him a set and make him a lovely pouch to hold them in which you could embroider with whatever is of special meaning to you both...

My best friend is vegan and she loves this book.

Sorry I don't know any of the recipes off hand.

That's the first time I've heard that reason to eat vegan. You must be adventurous!

Many current vegans started off for reasons other than animal rights (myself included). But it seems that once one stops eating animals (for whatever reason), your mind is able to open up to the idea that animals are not ingredients, but rather living beings. It seems strange to me that most people do not view farm animals as living things; then again, I once held that same view myself. Logically, it is clear that animals are alive and can feel pain. But when you eat them, there is a stubborn mental block that prevents this realization.

I'm glad for any reason that people eat less animals. Hopefully when your month is over, you can think about extending your time being kinder to animals and the planet!

If you want a great cookbook, get Veganomicon.

Whole Foods is a life saver if you have one around. I like to buy bulk lentils, Quinoa, beans, rice, nuts, grains etc. You can even find that (most of the time) organic veggies are easy to come by. I think a whole foods vegan diet is a lot cheaper than one that uses substitutes and replacements, that's where you get the more pricey stuff. It's junk food anyway.

For example, for lunch at least once a week I make some quinoa, steamed radishes, carrots and whatever other veggies I have, steam a bit of kale at the last minute and lightly throw on a tahini-lemon-dill sauce. It's just the little things. Get a copy of Veganomicon


Best of luck! After the first 2 months or so (for me) the desire to eat cheese was gone. I mean, it's expired baby animal food if you really think about it. YUCK!

Isa's method in her Vegan Brunch cookbook is great. You basically roll it up in foil like a Toostie Roll and steam it. Super easy and she includes multiple recipes.

Upvote for the Veganomicon recommendation. It was the first veggie cook book I ever bought and it is absolutely wonderful for beginners and experienced cooks alike. The first few chapters are dedicated to instructions on how to prepare just about every kind of grain, legume and vegetable you'll commonly come across. The recipes in the book are also delicious and for the most part quick and simple to prepare. Definitely give this one a try.

I bought a book called 500 best soups. It's not this exact one, but something like this: http://www.amazon.com/500-Soups-Compendium-Cooking-Sellers/dp/1569069786/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319506108&sr=8-1 . This shit is delicious. Really, really delicious. Plus, you'll learn how to cook. Also, it's hard to make great soup, but it's also hard to make terrible soup.

Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen might help make the transition a little easier. I've made a few things from there that have all been great. Her Rockin' Ricotta is really yummy.

I haven't tried them unfortunately :( I'm in Canada and they're only available in the US from what I know. But apparently they're amazing and taste like the real thing.

Yeah unless you do it well tofu tastes bland. You've gotta wrap the tofu in paper towels, and place some heavy stuff on top (e.g. textbooks) to press it in for around 20-30 mins, so that you get all the water out of it. That way it'll soak up all the sauce.

Try out some bean curries and stir fries too, those are my favourite. In fact if you wanna get a cookbook, I recommend this or this times a million. Not a single recipe I've made in those books that all my meat-eating friends haven't loved.

I own this book, and it's really awesome: The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam's Favorite Soup and Noodles https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607749580/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0RHLAb9M1M6BV

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook is a pretty effing sweet cookbook. There are a number of vegan "cheese" recipes in it. I love them, but acknowledge my tastes are different from an omnivore's. I don't think of them as a direct substitute for cheese but as something else entirely (similar to how you shouldn't think of tofu as mock chicken...it's tofu).

But I definitely encourage you to experiment. My favorite "cheese" recipe involves cashews, lemon juice + other spices, and tofu (all blended together) to make a mock ricotta. Does it taste exactly like ricotta? I don't know...pretty sure it doesn't. Is it tasty? Damn straight.

> I'd like to make vegan omelets and I'm hoping to find some clever way to do it.

Check out Vegan Brunch. There is a great omelet recipe in there.

Check out the The Noma Guide to Fermentation - lots of great fermentation ideas for vaccuum-sealed stuff. You can also check out r/fermentation

It's also very useful for brining and marinating things, and is a great way to wet-age steaks.

Beef Bourguignon is my favorite.. This recipe is really good, we just back off on the pearl onions at the end and simply don't use quite as many as suggested. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beef-bourguignon-recipe-1942045

​

Also, if you're into hearty soups this book right here is excellent! Great for a little variety instead of a stew one week. https://www.amazon.com/New-England-Soup-Factory-Cookbook/dp/1401603009

The Veganomicon Cookbook is awesome. Really good for inspiration!

are you good with recipes? maybe a beginer level cookbook would be your jam.

peta's always good for cookbooks.
http://www.amazon.com/PETAs-Vegan-College-Cookbook-Delicious/dp/1402218850

and veganomicon is quite popular as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416511134&sr=1-1&keywords=veganomicon

both are good starter level cookbooks.

i'd reccomend cooking in big batches and freezing stuff.

if this doesn't work, try your local asian or indian grocery store. they have a ton of instant meals for dirt ass cheap (like a buck or 2 each) many of which are vegan..


congrats on going vegan too, btw!

Veganomicon is a good one: http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

But, there's no perfect cookbook. I do the majority of my cooking by searching for a recipe online and adding the word "vegan". I highly recommend watching Earthlings -- it's more effective at ending meat cravings than any recipe book.

This Video always makes me laugh.. Happy Cakeday!!! This cookbook would be so awesome to have..
/u/lalalalady22 is awesome!

Brilliant! Thank you! This has sent me down a immense trail of reading today... I'm presently reading The NOMA Guide to Fermentation and prepping to do the Miso recipie from that book - From what I'm reading, as long as modern controls are put in place, it dosen't sound too different than brewing fish sauce. Will defiantly try this out(when we are brave enough).

I'm reading a book about how kids learn best through playing, and how our modern education system holds kids back. The book is called Free to Learn. I recommend it to anyone interested in education or raising kids.

Veganomicon followed by Vegan Brunch as a close second. That Isa is amazing! Nearly every recipe I've tried (and I've tried tons) has been amazing and she mostly uses simple ingredients and many of the recipes are quick and easy. I'm obsessed with the vegan omelets in Vegan Brunch and the Tofu Florentine and Jelly Donut Cupcakes in Veganomicon.

Chiming in here with the most fantastic Italian vegan cookbook- Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen (it's an Amazon link, fyi)! I've made so many recipes, including homemade pasta from her cookbook and it's awesome.

> No, in principle I'm arguing for socialism in some matters.

In reality, I'm not 100% against a ratio of capitalism/socialism, provided we don't violate fundamental rights as outlined by the constitution and the people get what they vote for.

> That's because private security doesn't have to take the role of police departments. It's not unreasonable to think that if there were no police that the nature of private security would change.

I'm not going to continue arguing this point because in reality, I do (presently) think that police/military are necessary; I was really just poking holes in your logic, but this gets exhausting going down that path.

> Science innovation is a factor which drives the economy. The US government currently provides nearly half of the funding for basic research (although this is a new low; in the 60s, the government provided ~70% of basic research funding, and this share only fell below 50% in 2013, through a combination of less funding for science and more private sector funding for science). If we got rid of government funding of basic research, either private industry would have to double what they provide for research, or research will slow, which will slow economic growth.

Could you provide some sort of source to back up these statistics? I'm very interested to learn about this in full color. On its face, it does seem perplexing that the trend is decreasing and yet it's being used as an example for support of government rather than private industry, but I'll have to make my own judgements.

> If your argument depends on magic to work, your argument doesn't work.

Really? Obviously I wasn't saying there was actual magic. I was saying it more in the sense that the money would stay in my bank account where I could figure out how to spend it rather than relying on other people to figure it out for me.

> I'm pointing out that you wouldn't actually have more money to spend because you'd be putting what would have been tax dollars toward to procuring private services for yourself. Since those private services aren't subsidized by having everyone else paying for them, you would be paying more for the private services than you currently are. Unless you forgo all such services, but at that point you wouldn't have enough time in the day to work a paying job anyway.

Ok, since I'm essentially conceding the point on replacing police with security services, I'm going to skip to your next point.

> Are you arguing that more money would fix the problems with education?

No, as I previously established, I do not believe money is magical.

> I agree that there are problems with education right now. But I also believe that everyone should have access to education, and that's not going to happen unless people who don't have children pay part of the tuition for people who do have children but who can't afford private education otherwise.

Your first argument here is that subpar education is better than no education at all, and sure, I'll grant you that. Your second argument is that subpar education won't happen unless education is subsidized socially, and based on the current system, this is true inside the current set of conditions.

But the current set of conditions, as far as education is concerned, is terrible. I come from a family containing a number of teachers and a recurring issue is that they get burnt out because they can't do their jobs because they are forcing kids to parrot things out of books in a specific way, repeat them for tests and never learn things in an in-depth way. Classes are also geared toward the lowest common denominator. And it's no secret why -- our school system was created to breed factory workers!

This is why we've seen a surge in parents choosing to home school utilizing programs like Khan Academy. Even schools are partnering with Khan Academy for their AP programs. The idea here is that the free market (Khan Academy was started by one man filling a need in a largely unregulated way) provides a SELF-DIRECTED education system of far superior quality than our publicly-funded education ever could. Through the Internet (which came about through government funding, I'll grant you), every person (not just children) in the WORLD (not just the US) has access to a world-class education.

Read Free to Learn by Peter Gray. This is a book that talks about letting kids self-educate altogether (skipping homeschooling and any form of education). Now tell me why skipping all forms of government-run schooling would lead to a situation where more children go on to university than they otherwise would?

I think people put far too much faith in the system without questioning it. This is certainly one of those cases.

> Privatizing education might fix some problems, but it would introduce worse ones.

I'm sorry, but how does Khan Academy introduce worse problems? I think you're arguing with the traditional idea of a private school which is somewhat straw-manish of you. There are a variety of types of private school choices.

> We need to find ways to address the problems with the current educational model which preserve guaranteeing access to everyone.

Agreed, and I think we can do that by bolstering these free education systems and increasing expectations rather than lowering them to meet the status quo.

> We also need to ensure that everyone gets the same quality of education. These are difficult problems, and I don't have a solution for them, but I am confident that privatizing the whole system won't fix everything; just look to history - entirely private education systems saw the majority of people simply never getting an education. That's why public education systems were developed in the first place.

Uh, no. That's just false. Public education systems like ours were modeled after factory model schools. In some specific cases, this model was used to increase literacy but mainly, it was to treat children like parts on an assembly line. And that includes throwing out the misfits. Slowly, we've built on it, but building on something terrible doesn't guarantee a good outcome. Compare that to building on something amazing that is imperfect (the U.S. constitution), but generally helps to provide a good outcome.

> They wouldn't have to [compete for your business]. They could be like the cable company, and have it be a race to see who can screw customers over the most without losing them.

They could be like the cable company, except the cable company is a known patchwork of local monopolies. There are certainly ways around this, but lobbying from cable companies has seen that this water has become extremely muddy.

> Capitalistic competition doesn't work as well when what's provided is essentially a necessity for life (in the appropriate time period).

Please provide some cases where pure capitalism in a society/culture like ours has failed to meet the demands for the hierarchy of needs.

> Capitalism isn't about competing for the lowest price, it's about competing for the highest profit.

Agreed. The motive is profit.

> In some cases this can be done by getting more people to pay a cheaper price. But once everyone is buying the product, you can start raising the price until people start to change their provider. If every provider does this, prices go up and people don't have real incentives to switch.

You're describing monopolies (either via one company or via multiple with price fixing). Monopolies are why we have antitrust laws -- the question is whether they actually get exercised and since it's generally not profitable for politicians to carry them out, they don't even go through the motions. Yay for big government, amirite?

> And so you would have less money. I'm not making a moral argument, I'm just pointing out that not paying taxes won't net you more money at the end of the month. The money that you would have paid in taxes would still have to be paid.

Having less money because of paying for things I choose to pay for is far superior.

> I believe that freedom of choice ends when you start harming other people. You don't have the freedom to choose to harm someone else.

Define "harm" here. I maintain that government taking money out of my paycheck without my permission is certainly harmful as it violates some fundamental rights. Few people seem to care about that harm. I think many people see it as "you live in the neighborhood, you pay the dues," and then fail to see how that's like the mafia who offer "protection" in return for "a small monthly contribution."

Try not paying taxes for a year. Men with guns show up. They put you in prison. A prison not meant for rehabilitation, but in reality, made for punishment and trending toward recidivism. You tell me how that's not harmful when you really get down to it.

Sure, this is more roundabout and less direct than, "well, we started paying for everyone's healthcare and now you want to take that AWAY?" But it is skipping its response to a very necessary question: which rights did you violate to begin paying for everyone? This question deserves A LOT more thought, because it's just getting painted right over with the idea that the ends will justify the means.

That's how empires fall.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476736073/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1476736073&linkCode=as2&tag=chechl-20&linkId=S6J36OAGZZ7OH3H5

This is definitely the one me and my family most often use. Delicious and easy meals.

Try a recipe from this new cookbook if you want a delicious vegan sandwich! Looks amazing!

I'm going to give you what every one of my veg friends (I'm a vegetarian too) would say is the Vegetarian Bible: Veganomicon.

It's the BEST!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/156924264X

The Noma Guide to Fermentation!

It's basically the bible for modern fermentation techniques perfected by one of the best restaurants in the world.

The Noma guide does a lot of ferments in vacuum sealed bags. I've done their blueberries and it worked well (just salt and berries). Watching the bag slowly inflate over a couple of days was kind of a trip. If you are looking for a wide range of ideas, I highly recommend picking the book up. It does a good job of not only presenting the ferments but explaining the science (and history) behind them as well.

Edit: Pic of the blueberries in case anyone was curious

Veganomicon has some awesome food porn and is besides amazing.

I have a few recipes that I've done myself! However, most of my recipes that I get I find online. Here are a few good sources!

http://ohsheglows.com/

http://www.theppk.com/

http://vegweb.com/

http://www.vegkitchen.com/

My girlfriend also two books which we use A LOT:

Appetite For Reduction

Veganomicon

If you would the few recipes that I have, I'd be glad to give them to you! I'm about to be really busy at the moment, so I don't have time to type them up (all of my recipes are stored in my head lol) but I have the day off tomorrow so I will type them up then :)

Oh man, you've been missing out.

This cookbook has amazing recipes: http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/

I love making lasagne or risotto for special occasions. It takes awhile to prepare, but it gives an incredible homely feeling when you share the dish.

You're so rad for coming back to it for the animals!

As far as books go, I'm a big fan of the Veganomicon and Isa's other books. Love her recipes and versatility!

As far as getting everything you need, as long as you're eating enough calories (as adopting a high fiber diet can trick your body into thinking you're full of calories when you're operating at an actual deficit), and taking a B12 supplement, the only other things you might want to consider are a vegan D3 supplement for the wintertime and an Omega 3 supplement if you aren't adding flax or chia into your daily diet! Everything else is abundant in the plants if you're eating a varied diet!

You got this. You so got this!

Brunch is my favorite meal so Vegan Brunch is killer. It's by the same author as Vegan with a Vengeance and has a million recipes.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738212725

Not vegan related, but I'm also reading Bill Bryson's newest book, At Home: A Short History of Private Life. An entertaining casual read if you like infoporn.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0767919386/

Hamburgers in the oven. I use a square glass baking dish, coat the bottom of the dish in fresh diced onions (you can also used dry minced onions), pat your meat into the dish, use whatever spices you want on top and cook. I think it's 350 for about 35 minutes or so. Drain the grease and then add cheese if you wish and put it back in the oven for a few minutes.

If you're not opposed to using cans of soup check out this book...

https://www.amazon.com/Campbells-Books-Ingredients-Cookbook-Casseroles/dp/1412725836

Here's a cheeseburger pasta recipe. Don't make it the way it says. Do your pasta like you would normally make pasta (in a separate pot) and just mix it in when it's done cooking.

https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/cheeseburger-pasta/

These are the ones on my wishlist:


The Vegonomicon


Everyday Happy Herbivore


Thug Kitchen


But I could never go vegan!


Oh She Glows Cookbook


I personally own The Vegan Stoner Cookbook and I like it a lot.

Medium Rare (although now that I've looked up Pittsburgh, I think that sounds pretty awesome)

I'd take /u/missmercy87 because her post is right below mine and and sometimes the best conversations are with total strangers.

No soup for you!
Okay, soup.

My mom has this cookbook and loves it. It looks like they've written a bunch of other ones, as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Months-Monastery-Victor-DAvila-Latourrette/dp/0767901800


Other than that, I might suggest some wine or beer or other foodstuffs from a local monastery?

The Noma Guide to Fermentation has a recipe for making it. Great book, I highly recommend it.

This is considered a classic cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1450780613&sr=8-4&keywords=vegan+cookbook

The definitive vegan cookies cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cookies-Invade-Your-Cookie/dp/160094048X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1450780650&sr=8-6&keywords=vegan+baking

I really can't think of cooking or baking equipment that vegans in particular would need (?) more than an omni kitchen would. Maybe a vegan themed cooking or baking something? I'm sure a set of spices would be very appreciated.

Would one that is largely plant based and easy to modify when it isn’t work for you?

Twelve Months of Monastery Soups: A Cookbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0767901800/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_90BCDb58WTAT9

This soup cookbook, written by a French monk, is designed around the months of the year based on what is in season or what you might have in your pantry at that time of year.

As an example, we have the Tomato Florentine soup almost every week. As an example of a modification, we just leave the Spanish sausage out of the Caldo Gallego and it’s a great soup regardless.

All home-made last weekend, using the recipes from Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen - the book is full of excellent recipes, highly recommend picking it up!

Depending on where you live, your library might have a bunch. You can check them out, try some recipes, and see if it's one you might want to buy.

I like a lot of international and multi-cultural flavors so I like a wide variety of cookbooks including:

Afro Vegan

Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen

Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen

and a general cookbook that helps you make your own dishes using vegan staples:

The Homemade Vegan Pantry

It's a bit older, but still a classic in our house - The Vegetarian Epicure. Or, as we call it, "The Veggie Epi."

My husband and I have since gone completely vegan and the Veganomicon is seriously one of the best cookbooks ever - everything I've made out of it has been a hit (even with not veggie/vegan friends). (The Mushroom Gravy recipe is just incredible!!)

I really like the book "Vegan Brunch" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It has loads of egg free recipes, everything from egg free pancakes and waffles to egg free Omelettes. A lot of the recipes call for vegan milk alternatives, but you can simply replace it with milk without any issues. One of my favourite recipes is for crepes it is my go to recipes for crepes even though I eat eggs

Veganomicon (http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X) is quite good. Most of the recipes are a little time-consuming, but there are some really good sub-half-hour meals in there.

She has a few but I have been cooking from her Italian Vegan Kitchen cookbook, which has been amazing.

I recommend Veganomicon to literally everyone, vegans and omnis alike, but especially people with celiac since they an index of gluten free meals in the back.

http://www.amazon.com/Amuse-Bouche-Little-Delight-Before-Begins/dp/0375507604/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348358817&sr=1-1&keywords=amuse+bouche

Check out this book, I found it very helpful for understanding the concept of the amuse

Veganomicon is less than $10 on Amazon if you get it used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/156924264X/ref=sr_1_6_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1486674904&sr=8-6&keywords=vegan+cookbook

Afro Vegan is solid, and is less than $20 new:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607745313/sr=8-31/qid=1486674985/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1486674985&sr=8-31

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews is like $4 used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/076793072X/ref=sr_1_5_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1486675176&sr=8-5&keywords=nava+atlas


Vegan Without Borders is $5 used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1449447082/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

I'd recommend the Vegenomicon cookbook. It has really good recipes in general.

There is one specifically for baby bok choy (which you can replace with any leafy green; shredded brussel sprouts is my go to) that is phenomenal. Here someone transcribed the recipe.

I love Thug Kitchen! Try out their other book, Veganomicon.

I like all the books by Paul Kirk. His Championship Barbecue Sauces gives instructions on how to develop your own sauce and rubs. I think that is the second book I ever bought and it is sitting next to me as I type this.

http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Kirks-Championship-Barbecue-Sauces/dp/155832125X/ref=pd_sim_b_6

i use it to make a vegan cheese sauce, like this recipe from the Veganomicon.

then i use that sauce to make a version of Mac & Trees:

• cook up some garlic & onions in a wide pan. add a bunch of broccoli (fresh or frozen is fine) & about 1/2 cup of water. season w/ salt & pepper. cover & let steam, about 7 mins. when the broccoli is tender & most of the water evaporated, toss in about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. add the cheese sauce & mix together. pour this mess over some whole wheat spiral or penne shaped pasta. it's really good.
  
  also, i've been adding nurtitional yeast just to stews, savory pies & casseroles to give it a little extra something. a tablespoon or so is about all you need.

This is great!

There's a coffee kombucha recipe in the recent Noma fermentation book if you fancied another reference.

The Veganomicon has a few bomb southern recipes. Also, u/Patchesthelurker's advice is sound. You need to stay busy with activities you can set goals for. I have a friend in AA and he seems to find it really valuable - would probably be worth trying at least.

Try the "Almost All-American Seitan Pot Pie" from the Veganomicon. Some meat-eaters are overly critical of fake meat products, but when you cut the seitan into tiny little cubes (I go smaller than the recipe suggests, about 5/8"), it can work a bit better.

That's basically my go-to recipe for impressing people; I might take it over to my folks' house for Easter.

Veganomicon

https://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X

You will love it.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

The cashew based ricotta from the Veganomicon is awesome. Takes about 15 minutes to make.

> Do you guys have any sources of really high quality vegan meals by like high level chefs and shit.

Take your pick! What cuisines does she like to make? What do you like to eat? Choose something that fits both.

Gourmet Stuff (youtube channels, blogs, and/or cookbooks. Some are all three):

• Hot For Food
  
• Sweet Potato Soul
  
• Edgy Veg
  
• AvantGardeVegan
  
• Exceedingly Vegan
  
• Mr. Vegan
  
• VeganLovlie
  
• Peaceful Cuisine
  
• Vegan Soul Kitchen
  
• Oh She Glows
  
• Minimalist Baker
  
  For direct recreations of dairy, meat, and condiments/sauces.
  
  
• Seitan and Beyond by Skye Michael Conroy
  
• The Non-Dairy Evolution Cookbook by Skye Michael Conroy
  
• The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples by Miyoko Schinner
  
• Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner
  
  For recreations of eggs:
  
  
• Baking substitutes
  
• For straight eggs
  
  For a general cookbook: Veganomicon
  
  ---------
  
  My list of substitutions, taken from another comment:
  
  "
  Another thing you can do is learn or find vegan substitutes to things, then you can look up recipes that are as complex or authentic as you want, and simply use the substitutions. For gourmet vegan cooking, some are:
  
  
• Beef, sausage: seitan, commercial vegan meat substitutes
  
• Bacon: Coconut bacon or Bac'n bits
  
• Heavy Cream: Cashew Cream
  
• Butter: Vegan Butter, margarine, vegetable oil or coconut oil in baking
  
• Cheese: blended up nuts or other things with flavorings or gelling agents, different for different ones. Mozzarella, Ricotta, Feta, Parmesan, Fancy Cookbooks: 1, 2
  
• Eggs: For cooking, Tofu or Commercial Egg Replacers. For baking, a bunch of different things depending on what you're making.
  
• Crab cakes: hearts of palm
  
• Tuna salad: mashed chickpeas
  
• Merangues: aquafaba
  
  "

I've picked up this book from Ebay for like $2 and I'd recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Kirks-Championship-Barbecue-Sauces/dp/155832125X

Back! Burger is a recipe like this one from Veganomicon, a simple black bean patty with vital wheat gluten to bind.
I just served with a mound of avocado, fried onions, and bbq sauce (mix of tomato paste, water, white vinegar, maple syrup, worchestershire, liquid smoke, chillies, and salt simmered).

I recommend Paul Kirk's Championship BBQ Sauces. Worth every last penny, and has way more than just sauces. It's got seasonings, marinades, infused oils, curry powders, rubs, I mean, you name it, it's got it.

This is a shameless unaffiliated promotion, and I approve this message.

I bought this book from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Pho-Cookbook-Adventurous-Vietnams-Favorite/dp/1607749580 and it is very good. Many recipes for different types of pho.

I made my own homemade ramen for the first time this past weekend from this book. Holy crap was it good! Had leftovers for days too :)

If you want variations on that theme.
http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Months-Monastery-Victor-DAvila-Latourrette/dp/0767901800
has a number of good potato leek type soups. and lots of others.

My very favorite seitan recipe in all the world is Seitan Piccata from Veganomicon.

If she wants health and vegan, go for:

http://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-KnivesThe-Cookbook-Plant-Based/dp/1615190619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449959651&sr=8-1&keywords=forks+over+knives+cook+book

This is known as the bible of vegan cooking. It has basics from how to stock your pantry, to cooking rice, etc. Recipes are categorized and they have low cal, I believe:

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

This is from one of the original farm-to-table vegan restaurants in NYC. Everything is healthy and they have basics:

http://www.amazon.com/Angelica-Home-Kitchen-Rousings-Restaurant/dp/1580085032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449959834&sr=8-1&keywords=angelica%27s+kitchen+cookbook

Drinking with the Saints

The Vatican Cookbook

12 Months of Monastery Soups if you're also interested in that

I really like the Veganomicon! It's got a ton of recipes and everything I've made has been very tasty.

Yeah, I refer to myself as a recovering A-student. Good at getting A's and doing what others told me to do. Bad at really learning and following my own interests.

I know Peter Gray (blog and recent book) has done some research on self-directed learners and unschoolers. He's very approachable, so feel free to email him and ask. Let me know what you find!

Also, Sudbury Valley published these books about their graduates... Legacy of Trust and The Pursuit of Happiness.

Personally, I like Post Punk Kitchen recipes. So, perhaps the cookbook Veganomicon?

It's the recipe from Vegan With a Vengeance. If you don't have it, I really recommend picking it up.

I would recommend opening this book.

The mustard acts like a glue for your rub. You can't taste it. Check out Paul Kirks book. It shows you how to make rubs.

I feel like the Veganomicon might object to someone else taking their name.

My sister bought us a cookbook called Love Soup; it's basically a hundred-odd soup recipes (all vegetarian), many hearty enough for a meal, many pureed or naturally smooth.

The vegi thing may be a turnoff if she's a serious carnivore, but it may also force you to try new vegetables/flavors you otherwise wouldn't cook with. The three soups from this book that we've made thus far are a cold avocado/cucumber soup, and asparagus bisque, and a (wonderful) cauliflower soup with goat cheese. It might be worth checking out.

The sous vide mentioning only referred to the bag. There's no hearing involved. Sturdy bag, strong seal.

The fermentation in a sealed bag wasn't invented by me (to be honest I have no clue by whom) but I've got the idea from a book from Noma.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1579657184/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Y8cQDbZV2CVK6

I know what botulinum is.

The book is phenomenal and everyone should buy it, BUT this is the regular Amazon price (since late April), so there's no need for everyone to click through a Facebook page (and affiliate link) to get it.

Here's a direct link to the book on Amazon.

Hey, you should buy this amazing vegan cookbook, seriously it is the bomb, and then invite your vegan friends over to cook some delicious vegan food and cookies together. That way you can control the food supply and choose what's on the menu and they can have a square meal and no one gets hated on.

edit: make it brunch, bloody marys are vegan if you leave out the worcestershire

I have this book, and I've yet to make something out of it that isn't great.
Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces (amazon)

You can't go wrong with the Veganomicon.

It's the only vegan or vegetarian book I have ever used where the recipes wouldn't actually improved by sprinkling bacon on top.

Simple Seitan (makes 1lb - time: 1hr, 30min)

source: Veganomicon - or PPK

1 cup vital wheat gluten flour

3 tablespoons Nutritional yeast

1/2 cup cold vegetable broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a microplane grater

------
For the broth

8 cups cold water, plus 3 vegetable bouillon cubes, or 4 cups broth plus 4 cups water

1/4 cup soy sauce

-----------------------

Instructions

Mix together the gluten flour and yeast in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the veggie broth, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic. Pour the wet into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture has been absorbed and the wet ingredients are partially clumped up with the dry ingredients. Use your hands to knead the mixture for about 3 minutes, until the dough is elastic. Divide with a knife into three equal pieces and then knead those pieces in your hand just to stretch them out a bit.

Fill a stockpot with the water, bouillon cubes, and soy sauce, and add the wheat gluten pieces. Cover and bring to a boil but watch carefully; you don't want it to boil for very long or the outside of the seitan will be spongy. Try to catch it as soon as it boils and then lower the heat as low as it will go so that it's at a low simmer.

Partially cover the pot so that steam can escape and let simmer for an hour, turning the seitan occasionally. Turn off the heat and take the lid off; let sit for 15 minutes.

Remove from the broth and place in a strainer until it is cool enough to handle. It is now ready to be sliced up and used. If you have extra seitan, store in the cooking liquid in a tightly covered container.

Hm. I've been lead to believe that at school you don't learn real social skills, just how to become part of a peer group (or be bullied by a peer group) your exact age. Even some atheists believe in HSing I just read a book about it https://www.amazon.com/Free-Learn-Unleashing-Instinct-Self-Reliant/dp/0465025994?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_FVZFvb0W2DFPH. Think about primitive cultures, the kids ran around in groups of all ages, not segregated into classrooms.

This info is from non witness sources. I don't know any JW in our area who HS, most are actually against it (kids are supposed to be a witness, have their faith tested etc.)

I have no issues with holidays etc although I know DH would. Not trying to argue with you, just share my viewpoint.

http://www.amazon.com/Amuse-Bouche-Little-Delight-Before-Begins/dp/0375507604

Garde Manger isn't an art. It's where the FNG gets put until they can be brought up to speed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0375507604/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_OOjGzbESR5HVJ

https://www.amazon.com/Free-Learn-Unleashing-Instinct-Self-Reliant/dp/0465025994

Isa's brunch book. It's a must-have!
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Brunch-Homestyle----Asparagus/dp/0738212725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451181511&sr=8-1&keywords=isa+brunch

You obviously need Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

But the gem of that cookbook is obviously the Tempeh Crab Cakes.

she deserves your money

Paul kirks book. Start there. here

Nobody has mentioned the Veganomicon yet.

Probably this.

Veganomicon

Klaatu barada nikto

Veganomicon.

Veganomicon

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X

Veganomicon

also by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is Veganomicon

https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184

https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184/

I wonder, is "Foundations of Flavor" a series or subtitle... what the chef wanted to call the book before the editor got ahold of it?

Carolyn Ketchum.

Here's the link: Keto Soups and Stews

I used recipes from Tove Nilsson's Ramen: Japanese Noodles and Small Dishes, which I got from my Secret Santa during last year's exchange. I used Chicken-Pork Broth, Garlic Tare, Chashu Pork, and Soya Sauce Marinated Eggs.

EDIT: Here's a wee album of the progression throughout the day: https://m.imgur.com/a/ti8Jm

Veganomicon our copy is falling apart because we use it so much.

Done in the style of the restaurant Noma. The head chef's released a book on how they make a lot of the dishes.

Essentially the food is salted and vacuum sealed; no loss of flavour into a brine.

Highly accessible and worth a read. Amazon link is below or who knows what you might find with a half decent Google..

The Noma Guide to Fermentation (Foundations of Flavor) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1579657184/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_X1uEDb72MSPSE

I disagree with this article, personally.

More on this subject:

http://reason.com/blog/2015/03/19/giving-kids-help-at-the-end-of-a-gun#fold

http://www.amazon.com/Free-Learn-Unleashing-Instinct-Self-Reliant/dp/0465025994

"Veganomicon", an older book, but therefore available used for a low price. Also, your library should have vegan cookbooks that you can check out before buying something.

Not entirely sure it'll be the answer you're looking for, but maybe pick up a copy of the Noma Guide to Fermentation? They do all kinds of really outlandish shit when it comes to fermentations, and it's all pretty painstakingly tested for not only safety, but consistency of results.


I can't guarentee you'll find what you're looking for, but if there was going to be a book that'd get you in the right direction, that's where I'd put my money.

I like this one because I can quickly make it with what I have in the pantry, and it works as an entree for vegans and a side for others. It's healthy comfort-food crack. This version is from the Veganomicon.


Chickpea-Quinoa Pilaf

2 tbls olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbls coriander seeds, crushed

Several pinches ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbls tomato paste

1 cup quinoa

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth


In a small stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more.

Add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and salt; saute for another minute.

Add the quinoa and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and broth; cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower heat to very low, and cook for up for 20-40 minutes (depends on your quinoa), or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water; stir occasionally. Fluff with fork to serve.

Chiming in to say that I grew up on a grain and sheep farm and went vegan after I moved away for university.

I did not see the animal rights aspects at first. For me, the start was frugality and environmentalism. Lentils were cheaper, and I knew just how much resources it took to grow corn and soybeans, only to feed it to an animal and have them burn away 90% of it.

Health benefits were the kicker. Forks over Knives made a big impact on me since I was training for a marathon. The BIG push was learning that dairy was strongly tied to prostate cancer, which emasculated my grandfather and is giving my dad trouble now (he's due for his first biopsy in a week.)

It was only after hanging around /r/vegan that I picked up the animal rights issues. Works like Earthlings and The Herd (NSFL) got me to see it as totally wrong, and dairy as especially fucked up.

Learning to cook wasn't hard, and restaurants aren't too big of a deal. Most of my recipes are: chop vegetables, saute, add spices, add beans and vegetable broth, and season to taste. There's plenty of cookbooks out there if you want to learn: I recommend The Veganomicon, the Forks over Knives cookbook, and Vegan With a Vengeance.

I'm glad to see that you're considering moving towards less animal cruelty. For me, the change wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was, and it's getting easier every day.